Changes
by tee-and-rainbows
Summary: Harper and Monty's fling results in the action girl's body going through some interesting changes that are very much not welcome. Yeah, she's not happy with the idea at all.
She first notices something wrong when she has trouble zipping up the jacket of her guard uniform. Even then, however, she passes it off as a result of the large meal the night before. Despite living Alie-free for almost a month, life on the ground is still hectic at the best of times, especially with the grounder armies continuing to adjust to the lack of a Heda and the coalition. Her family takes small victories when they can, such as finally mending their previously tense relationship with Floukru and Luna, and it turns out that particular clan loves to feed their honoured guests. So, it takes Harper a while longer to realize exactly what's going on.

It starts to sink in when Clarke puts two and two together. Harper's extreme nausea and possible weight gain prompt her to pull the guard aside before she heads out for duty and ask, although she's a bit too blunt about it. Harper bristles at the suggestion, but secretly takes a moment after her shift to count out the days. It's then that she realizes that she hasn't had to worry about her period since before that night with Monty. She doesn't sleep much that night.

The grounder conflicts grow worse, and the delinquents spend time moving from cave to cave, trying to mediate. It's a struggle to convince Clarke that they don't need to take a more direct approach, especially since Luna still has no interest in taking her birthright, and Octavia spends most of her time away from camp, much to Bellamy's dismay. Meanwhile, Harper continues to fight against Abby's suggestion that she take a break from guard duty, insisting that she's fine, that she's being safe. She wants to protect her people. When Monty comes to her, she accuses him of parroting the doctor and refuses to listen. That night, Miller throws himself in front of a rogue grounder taking aim at her. It's weeks before Harper forgives him for it. To make matters worse, the first time she feels the baby move, she's taking aim at a potential invader at their latest camp, near Azgeda. It makes her miss. Bryan doesn't let her live it down.

The day she can't zip up her jacket is the day that Bellamy sits down with her and looks her straight in the eyes and orders her to hang up the jacket until after the baby is born. By now, she's grown tired of all her family treating her like a porcelain doll and she looks him straight in the eyes and tells him in no uncertain terms to go float himself before getting up and grabbing her gun. She fully intends to continue working, to hell with what her friends think.

Two weeks later, back at Arcadia, she's cursing the baby growing inside of her as she makes Monty rub her back. It's the only thing Monty's allowed to do, though, and she finds herself napping more than she'd like when she's not on guard duty. Clarke and Bellamy are away with Octavia and Indra trying to convince the remnants of Trikru to rebuild the coalition before the rogue grounders ruin what little security is left on the ground, and Harper hates that she's going through this at such a terrible time. Jasper tries to cheer her up, but she merely grumbles, and Raven gets a positively frigid glare when she suggests Harper help her fine tune their communication channels instead of standing guard with the lovebirds. Her temper hits an all-time high when Abby tries to talk sense into her, and she locks herself in her room.

Kane knocks on her door, yelling something about how Arcadia is compromised, and Harper struggles to put on a stoic face, hiding the stress she's under. When she opens the door, however, he pushes his way in and closes it behind him. He immediately points out how tired she looks, making her bristle in anger, and he continues on about how he wants her to be at her best. After all, if she's tired all the time, how can she protect her family? Harper's taken aback by this and he adds that he knows she wants to help. He reminds her about Raven's leg, about how she had to accept it and do what she could. They talk a lot about what Harper is going through, and eventually she agrees to hang up her gun. It doesn't stop her from making disgruntled remarks every time she sees Miller or Bryan, however. They learn to accept it.

The family continues to move around, mediating the conflicts that arise and begging the grounder villages to consider forming a new coalition. Without a Heda, however, no one is interested, and it's even harder to find someone willing to stand at the centre of the tornado. Harper hates standing on the sidelines, especially when Miller gets stabbed, but with her legs hurting as much as they do, there's not much she can do to help. Abby and Clarke do what they can for her, despite the conditions, although both are secretly nervous for Harper's health. No one even mentions Monty's name around her, although secretly she knows she can't blame him. It's just easier, especially since she just wants to /do/ something.

When the time comes, Clarke coaches her through the labor, staying patient even as she repeats her mantra of punctuated profanities like a prayer. Monty isn't even allowed in the room (Clarke's orders, in a (failed) attempt to keep her calm), and Miller and Bryan keep him company. Being told to push only irritates her ("What do you /think/ I'm doing!?") but when loud wails suddenly fill the room and she leans back, her forward drenched with sweat, all she feels is relief. Clarke fusses over the baby for a moment before finally walking up beside her and gently placing the tiny bundle in her arms. It's a girl, and as she looks down at her daughter, awestruck, the last nine months seem completely worth it.

Later, as the rest of the delinquent family fawns over her daughter, she relaxes and even shoots a rare smile up at Monty. They haven't decided where they will be the safest from the latest chaos on the ground, but everyone is committed to protecting the baby, since after all, it is the first Skaikru child born on the ground. When Octavia asks if she's chosen a name yet, she merely smiles, kissing her daughter's head.

Of course, a week later, she's back on guard duty. After all, Abby is more than happy enough to babysit baby Zoe, and Harper's one of the best.


End file.
